A fraction of the carbon captured by phytoplankton in the sunlit surface ocean sinks to depth
as dead organic matter and faecal material. The microbial breakdown of this material in the …

Extracellular enzymes initiate microbial remineralization of organic matter by hydrolyzing
substrates to sizes sufficiently small to be transported across cell membranes. As much of …

This paper reviews progress on understanding biological carbon sequestration in the ocean
with special reference to the microbial formation and transformation of recalcitrant dissolved …

The oceanic waters below a depth of 200 m represent, in terms of volume, the largest habitat
of the biosphere, harboring approximately 70% of the prokaryotic biomass in the oceanic …

Continental margin systems collectively receive and store vast amounts of organic carbon
(OC) derived from primary productivity both on land and in the ocean, thereby playing a …

Extracellular enzymes produced by heterotrophic microbial communities are major drivers of
carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. Although …

Heterotrophic prokaryotes express extracellular hydrolytic enzymes to cleave large organic
molecules before taking up the hydrolyzed products. According to foraging theory …

Microorganisms that transform and oxidize organic material (that is, heterotrophs) play a
fundamental role in the geochemical cycling of key elements in the ocean. Through their …

Background Most of the research on the cycling of carbon in the open-ocean has focused on
heterotrophic prokaryotes and eukaryotic phytoplankton, but the role of pelagic fungi …

Marine heterotrophic prokaryotes primarily take up ambient substrates using transporters.
The patterns of transporters targeting particular substrates shape the ecological role of …